Top 21 Startup Accelerators in 2025: Funding, Equity, Acceptance Rates

Team Ellenox
Sep 9
8 min read

Looking for details on startup accelerators? We listed the top 21 programs in 2025. It covers funding terms, equity structures, cohort sizes, acceptance rates, alumni networks, unicorns, and exits.

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Top Startup Accelerators With Detailed Comparison Table

Accelerator

Funding

Program Length

Equity Structure

Mentorship Model

Cohort Size

Global Reach

Alumni Network

Notable Alumni

Applications per Year

Acceptance Rate

Batches per Year

Startups Funded

Combined Valuation

Unicorn Startups

Major Exits

Remote Programs

Y Combinator

$500,000 (125K for 7% + 375K uncapped SAFE, 2022 deal still used)

~3 months

7% post-money + uncapped MFN SAFE

Partner office hours, alumni mentors, weekly group sessions

Varies (dozens–100+)

Global; Silicon Valley HQ

Extremely strong (~5k+ companies)

Airbnb; Stripe; Dropbox; Coinbase; DoorDash

Tens of thousands (approx.)

~1–2% (approx.)

>5,000 (cumulative)

~$500–700B (approx.)

90+ (approx.)

Multiple IPOs (Airbnb, Dropbox), acquisitions

Historically remote during COVID; mainly in-person now

Techstars

$220,000 typical (200K uncapped MFN SAFE + 20K CEA) OR program-dependent 120K offers in some regions (2024-2025)

~3 months

~5% common + SAFE (varies by program)

Managing Director + mentor network; weekly office hours

~10–12 per program

Global (50+ programs worldwide)

Very strong (~4k+ companies historically)

SendGrid; PillPack; ClassPass

Varies by program; thousands globally

Very selective (~<2% typical)

Multiple per city/program (varies)

~4,000+ (cumulative, reported 2024)

~$100B+ (aggregate estimates)

20+ (reported)

SendGrid→Twilio; PillPack→Amazon

Techstars Anywhere & hybrid options

500 Global

$150,000 for Flagship (6% stake) (program page)

~4 months (Flagship)

~6% (Flagship)

Workshops + 1:1 coaching; growth marketing focus

varies

Global (investments worldwide)

Large (~5,000 portfolio companies historically)

Canva; Credit Karma; Udemy; Talkdesk

Varies; thousands globally (approx.)

Low (a few percent; varies)

Multiple (regional programs)

~5,000 (cumulative portfolio)

Not publicly centralized; dozens of high-value companies

35+ (historical claims)

Credit Karma→Intuit; others

Varies by regional program

Seedcamp

Seed investments (typical cheque sizes vary; Seedcamp Fund involvement)

Rolling / mentorship over months (not classic 3-month residency)

Seed SAFEs/equity (varies)

Mentor network across Europe; investor introductions

Small/selective

Europe-focused, global ties

Strong in Europe

Wise (TransferWise); Revolut (early); UiPath (early involvement)

Hundreds (approx.)

Low (single-digit % approx.)

Rolling investments / periodic cohorts

Several hundred (cumulative)

Significant for top companies; no single aggregate has been published

Multiple

IPOs and large acquisitions among alumni

Hybrid/remote mentoring offered

SOSV (HAX, IndieBio)

Up to $550K first-check in some tracks; SOSV reports ~$1.5B AUM and 60 first-checks up to $550K/year

3–6 months (track dependent)

Varies by track

Deep technical mentorship; lab/hardware support

Small per track (5–20)

Global (US, EU, Asia bases)

Strong in hardware & biotech

Formlabs; Ginkgo Bioworks (ecosystem)

Hundreds per track (approx.)

Selective (low)

Multiple per track annually

Hundreds to 1,000+ (portfolio cumulative)

Several billion across the deep-tech portfolio (see SOSV reports)

A few high-value companies

Notable acquisitions & large fundraises

Some virtual elements; many programs require in-person (especially HAX/IndieBio)

Plug and Play

Varies (corporate pilot + VC investments; no single standard check)

~3 months per vertical (typical)

Varies by program/partner

Corporate partner mentorship + industry experts

~10–30 per vertical

Extensive global presence (30+ countries)

Large enterprise & startup network

Multiple corporate pilots and startups

Thousands across verticals (approx.)

Varies by vertical

Many (dozens globally)

Thousands (portfolio large)

Aggregate large across portfolio (varies)

Several

Multiple exits and acquisitions

Hybrid/virtual options available

AngelPad

~$120,000 investment historically (AngelPad states $120K)

~8–10 weeks

Historically ~7% total (mix of common + investment)

High-touch mentorship from partners (experienced founders)

~12–15

US-centric (SF/NY) but accepts international founders

Strong in the US early-stage ecosystem

Postmates; Buffer

Hundreds (approx.)

Very selective (<5% estimated)

2–3 per year (approx.)

Hundreds (cumulative)

Moderate–high due to standout alumni

A few

Several acquisitions and IPOs among alumni

Some remote mentoring; main program historically in-person

StartX

Program is equity-free; StartX Fund invests separately (terms vary)

Varies (membership & program support)

StartX program: no equity; StartX Fund: invests on market terms

Stanford alumni & faculty mentors; high-touch

Small, selective

Stanford & Bay Area focus; accepts global founders

Very influential in the Bay Area

Several Stanford spinouts

Hundreds (approx.)

Very selective

Rolling/periodic

Hundreds (via StartX fund and program alumni)

Large for alumni subset (StartX cites $40B+ total valuation)

Some notable high valuations

Acquisitions and IPOs among alumni

Primarily in-person; some virtual support

MassChallenge

Equity-free; prize funding and grants (prize amounts vary)

~4 months (main tracks)

None (nonprofit)

Workshops, corporate mentors, lean methodology

Varies (tens–100+ depending on program)

Global (US, UK, Israel, Switzerland, Mexico, others)

Large global alumni network

Ginkgo Bioworks (association), PillPack (some links)

Hundreds–1,000+ (region dependent)

Moderate (~10–20% in some cohorts)

1–2 per region typically

3,500+ supported historically

Aggregate billions raised by alumni (per MassChallenge reports)

Few (not the primary focus)

Some notable acquisitions/IPO-level events

Virtual/hybrid options available

Entrepreneur First (EF)

Varies by region; typical early offer ~£80k–£150k and follow-on options (terms vary)

~3–6 months (Form/Launch cycles)

~8–10% typical early conversion (varies by market)

Founder-first model: team formation + heavy partner coaching

~50 (varies by city)

Global (London, Singapore, Toronto, Berlin, Paris, etc.)

Strong technical founders network

Tractable; Magic Pony (acq.)

Thousands across hubs (approx.)

Selective (low single digits to ~5%)

2–3 (varies by city)

Hundreds (cumulative)

Several hundred million to billions, depending on the top companies

A few

Acquisitions and large raises

Some remote support; emphasis on in-person formation

Antler

Varies by market (example: AU terms showed AU$225k for 12% historically); typical early checks ~100K range

~6 months (matching + build)

Varies (commonly ~10% at the matching/investment stage in some markets)

Founder matching, advisor network, investor access

~50–100 (varies by market)

Global (20+ cities)

Growing global founder network

Oda (formerly Kolonial.no); Safeboda (regional)

Thousands (global operations)

Selective (varies by market)

Multiple per market

Hundreds (portfolio)

Hundreds of millions to billions across the portfolio

A couple (market dependent)

Regional scaleups & exits

Hybrid/remote options

Startupbootcamp

Varies by vertical; corporate-backed (often small seed + pilot opportunities)

~3 months (vertical specific)

Varies by program

Corporate partners + industry mentors + pilot pipelines

~10 per vertical

Global (multiple hubs)

Strong corporate pilot network

Various vertical successes

Hundreds per program

Selective

Multiple per hub

Hundreds (cumulative)

Moderate (industry-dependent)

Few

Some acquisitions and growth exits

Hybrid options available

Station F (hosted programs)

Varies by hosted accelerator program (Station F is campus/host)

Varies (weeks to months)

Depends on partner accelerator (varies)

Campus mentors + partner accelerator mentors

Varies by hosted program

European hub (Paris) with international founders

Large campus ecosystem

Varies by hosted programs

Thousands across hosted programs

Varies per partner program

Many (hosted programs run year-round)

Varies by hosted programs

Aggregate large companies across campus

Some from hosted programs

Various, depending on the hosted programs

Depends on the partner accelerator

Dreamit Ventures

Program investments vary; Dreamit focuses on growth & customer pilots (investment terms vary)

~3–4 months (growth tracks)

Varies

Corporate pilots, sales/customer growth mentorship

~10–20

US-centric with international applicants

Strong in healthcare & enterprise

LevelUp (example), Biomatter

Hundreds (approx.)

Selective

Several per year across tracks

Hundreds (cumulative)

Moderate (not centralized)

Few

Some acquisitions & raises

Hybrid/remote options

ERA (Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator)

~$150,000 for ~6% (historical published terms; verify on ERA site)

~4 months

~6% (historical)

NYC investor/operator network; weekly office hours

~10–15

NYC focus (global applicants accepted)

Strong NYC & East Coast network

TripleLift; Desktop Metal (examples)

Thousands (approx.)

Very selective (<5% estimated)

2–3

Several hundred

Notable via select alumni

Some

IPOs and acquisitions among alumni

Hybrid / some virtual support

Alchemist Accelerator

Historically small check (~$36K) + program; equity single-digit (varies)

~6 months (enterprise focus)

Single-digit equity (varies)

Enterprise sales, VC, industry expert mentors

~10–12

US-centric; global applicants accepted

Strong enterprise & investor network

Rigetti; LaunchDarkly

Hundreds (approx.)

Selective

2–3

Hundreds

Notable via enterprise winners

A few

Multiple acquisitions & fundraises

Hybrid options available

NFX

VC + community; accelerator/seed investments vary (terms by deal)

Varies (community + cohorts)

NFX invests via a fund; terms vary

Founder network + in-house partners; focus on network effects

Small selective cohorts

US & global founders

Strong for network-effect founders

Lyft (investor ties), others

Hundreds (approx.)

Very selective

Occasional cohorts + ongoing community

Dozens–hundreds via fund

Several high-value portfolio companies

Several across the portfolio

IPOs & acquisitions in portfolio

Community + remote elements

Founders Factory

Co-build & accelerator investments; terms vary by program

~3–6 months (depending on track)

Varies (co-build takes larger equity; accelerator, typical seed equity)

Corporate partners + in-house builders

Small per vertical

Europe-centric with global JVs

Access to corporate partners & founders

Zyper; Vidsy (examples)

Hundreds (approx.)

Selective

Multiple per vertical

Hundreds (accelerator + build)

Growing; some successful exits

Few

Corporate acquisitions/buyouts

Hybrid options

Google for Startups Accelerator

Equity-free technical support + Google Cloud credits (program typically does not take equity)

~10 weeks (region/vertical dependent)

None (program non-dilutive)

Google product & engineering experts, technical mentorship

~10–20 (region dependent)

Global (regional accelerators worldwide)

Google product/engineering & startup alumni

Regional successes across cohorts

Hundreds per region

Selective

Multiple regional cohorts annually

Many supported (non-dilutive)

Varies (program not investor)

Some alumni became unicorns independently

Varies by region

Often hybrid/virtual availability

Wayra (Telefónica)

Corporate-backed investments + pilot opportunities; terms vary by hub

~3–6 months (typical)

Varies (often small equity + commercial pilot deals)

Corporate mentors; go-to-market with Telefónica

~10–20 per hub

Europe & LATAM focus (Telefónica markets)

Corporate pilot network across Telefónica countries

Various telco-focused scaleups

Hundreds across hubs

Selective

Multiple per region

Hundreds (regional)

Moderate (region dependent)

Few

Acquisitions & strategic partnerships

Hybrid options

Flat6Labs

Regional seed checks (historically $50–$250K depending on hub)

~3–4 months

Varies by program/region (~up to 10% reported in some hubs)

Regional mentors, investor network, corporate partners

~8–20

The MENA region focuses on international ties

Strong in the MENA startup ecosystem

Swvl; Eventtus

Hundreds in MENA markets

Selective (varies by hub)

Multiple per year across hubs

Hundreds (regional)

Growing (several high-value regional companies)

A few (Swvl reached large valuation/IPO events)

Regional IPOs and acquisitions

Hybrid/virtual supports available

Notes

Some metrics, such as applications per year, acceptance rates, combined valuations, and number of unicorns, are not consistently published by accelerators. Where those are marked approx. or varies in the data tables, values were estimated using a mix of official announcements, accelerator press/blogs, and third-party databases (Crunchbase, TechCrunch, CB Insights).
The source links at the end of the blog are the primary program pages where funding, equity, program length, and alumni details are officially documented.
If you need cell-level citations for every metric (for example, acceptance rate or valuation), those would come from third-party data providers and press releases rather than accelerator websites.

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